The Billboard 100's 60th Anniversary - 60 Female Artists of All-Time

Aug 2nd, 2018

Hot 100 Turns 60! The Top 60 Female Artists of All-Time, From Madonna to Mariah Carey & More

Paula lands at #21 out of 60 female artists in celebration! Along with that, Rush Rush lands at #77 on the Top 100 songs of all times list!

by Xander Zellner, Billboard.com

As we celebrate the Billboard Hot 100's 60th anniversary, Billboard looks at the top-performing solo female artists in the chart's history, dating to its Aug. 4, 1958, inception.

With 57 Hot 100 entries and 12 No. 1s, Madonna rules as the chart's all-time top female artist. The pop icon also lands seven songs in the Hot 100 all-time top 600 songs recap, led by her first No. 1, "Like a Virgin," which spent six weeks atop the Hot 100 beginning on Dec. 22, 1984. Madonna holds the record for the most Hot 100 top 10s among all acts: 38.

Mariah Carey ranks at No. 2, powered by her 18 Hot 100 No. 1s, the most among soloists, as well as the most cumulative weeks at No. 1 (79) among all acts.

Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston and Rihanna, the lattermost having landed 14 Hot 100 No. 1s (dating to her 2005 debut), the third-best sum in the chart's history, round out the top five.

Further in the top 10 are two other artists whose chart careers began in the 2000s: Taylor Swift (No. 8) and Katy Perry (No. 9).

Here's a look at the top-performing solo female artists over the Hot 100's first 60 years.

60. Juice Newton

59. Carole King

58. Stevie Nicks

57. Amy Grant

56. Missy Elliott

55. Faith Hill

54. Chaka Khan

53. Jody Watley

52. Avril Lavigne

51. Pat Benatar

50. Anne Murray

49. Ashanti

48. Bette Midler

47. Aaliyah

46. Natalie Cole

45. Fergie

44. Petula Clark

43. Miley Cyrus

42. Brandy

41. Carly Simon

40. Sheena Easton

39. Debbie Gibson

38. Kesha

37. Tina Turner

36. Mary J. Blige

35. Taylor Dayne

34. Roberta Flack

33. Nicki Minaj

32. Cyndi Lauper

31. Helen Reddy

31. Monica

30. Christina Aguilera

29. Jennifer Lopez

28. Adele

27. Toni Braxton

26. Britney Spears

25. Celine Dion

24. Linda Ronstadt

23. Kelly Clarkson

22. Alicia Keys

21. Paula Abdul

20. Dionne Warwick

19. Lady Gaga

18. Gloria Estefan

17. P!nk

16. Cher

15. Barbra Streisand

14. Brenda Lee

13. Beyoncé

12. Connie Francis

11. Donna Summer

10. Diana Ross

9. Katy Perry

8. Taylor Swift

7. Aretha Franklin

6. Olivia Newton-John

5. Rihanna

4. Whitney Houston

3. Janet Jackson

2. Mariah Carey

1. Madonna

The Top 60 Female Artists of All-Time on the Billboard Hot 100 ranking is based on weekly performance on the Hot 100 from its Aug. 4, 1958, inception through July 21, 2018. All songs are ranked based on an inverse point system, with cumulative weeks at No. 1 earning the greatest value and weeks at lower spots earning the least. Due to changes in chart methodology over the years, eras are weighted differently to account for chart turnover rates over various periods. Artists are then ranked based on a formula blending performance, as outlined above, of all their Hot 100 chart entries.

Filed under: Music